


Realm Hotel

by siffy



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Angst, Diary/Journal, Hotel, M/M, Multi, POV First Person, Starvation, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-12-20
Updated: 2013-02-17
Packaged: 2017-11-21 19:01:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/601073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/siffy/pseuds/siffy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a prison cell, Ciel and Sebastian wake up as prisoners without most of their clothes, and find a way to escape the cell, only meeting up with Claude and are forced to become laborers like him. The master and butler become separated, and must survive on their own, struggling to survive as their demonic powers are slowly stripped away, making them weak and vulnerable. Now trapped in the underworld, they must find a way to survive the Realm Hotel and find a way to escape, also having to save the other demons that are trapped with them, and must avoid the other species of the Underworld.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> First publication on AO3. Apologies for any formatting problems. Please enjoy the first chapter.

What is the value of a human life?

 

Is it merely the soul they possess for either reapers to harvest, or for demons to farm and eventually devour?

 

It is something I never quite completely understood myself, even during my long lifetime. My time as a human is but a vague memory to me now, my birth name long forgotten and swallowed in the vast pools of my memories. When I attempt to think about it, I always come back to my former masters and the bratty humans I’ve witnessed as a demon, and it always surprises me to think that at one time, I was as sinister as people.

 

But, if I was at one time a human, how similar or different am I to something that I once was?

 

Can demons and humans be the same?

 

Temptation is something we both feel, that I am aware of at least. We both cannot resist temptation if it nearby, though it is more commonly lust for us Demon, I’ve noticed. For me, it is the prospect of a delicious soul that I can easily form a contract with, with the promise of revenge and eventually snatch up the soul. For humans, it seems it can be anything that revolves around the sins. The Seven Deadly sins act as a code of conduct for us demons, while it is looked down upon in Human society. Being greedy, gluttonous, or envious isn’t exactly the most worshipped of traits; I’ve caught onto during my time on this earth. Is that a similarity or difference if both a human and a demon follow the Seven Deadly sins?

 

Though sometimes I wonder if humans are more demonic than even myself. They knowingly get themselves in trouble, and they even sell their souls to the devil, knowing of what they’re getting themselves into. It’s something I’ve never understood. I’m forced to do certain things due to the instincts and urges I feel, the sins also playing a part in my attitude and actions. Yet humans have no animalistic instincts, though I still see them knowingly ruining their lives with drugs, lying, and destroying others for their own gain. All of always earns a scoff from me. If only they knew what was promised for them now at the end of the tunnel. They cling to anything they can get their hands on in hope of getting themselves out of the situation, even if it is a spider’s thread, and if they are being burned alive in the midst of their struggle.

 

Is it true that the rumors all of the others say?

 

That loyalty is not in the vocabulary of humans?

 

It is as if they do not understand the concept of staying loyal with one another of their species. Betrayal is something they at least know, though I wonder why they do do that, even if their fate is already right in front of them. Loyalty may assist them in changing their fate for the positive, instead of the negative. If only those humans knew of the horrors of Hell beyond the living once their lives come to a close.

 

Though, I really shouldn’t be talking in such a manner about humans about Loyalty. Demons like myself aren’t very aware of loyalty any more than they are, I suppose. It’s not uncommon for demons to break contracts with their masters, as one had recently done not too long ago. Yet most of the times others advise that it isn’t all too healthy to break the contract with your master, usually having…detrimental results in the end.

 

And so I wonder…

 

Are humans and demons really all that different from one another?

 

Or are they from the same root of the tree?

 

I wonder if I’ll receive the answers I’m looking for eventually…

 

——————

 

_Day XXX1_

_I can’t think clearly as I write this. My head is pounding from the blunt force — I’m still not sure what exactly hit me. Whatever it was, it’s still aching me, after possibly twenty four hours. I haven’t felt a pain like this in a long time. The lump on my head is so bruised; it hurts whenever I brush my fingertips on it. When was the last time I had ever had lasting pains?_

_The other sleeping demons are crying loudly in their sleep. What are they saying? Every single one is speaking a different language, and all of it is so muffled, I can’t understand them completely._

_They’re going to put myself and my master to work tomorrow. I can’t wait to see him actually forced to do hard work for many hours in the day, for rude and bitter customers._

_This realm hotel will be interesting. I still wonder why we are here in the first place. The shackles on my body are restraining me uncomfortably, yet I can’t adjust them. It’s confusing to me._

_I can hear Ciel grunting from the bed below me. He likely cannot sleep on this flat bed. At the moment, he knows to not disturb me. The frustration is building up inside me. I’m trying as hard as I can to not break my only pencil in half._

_But yet, I wonder…nothing here makes sense. No one here is talking to me. He promised that he would tell me, yet he hasn’t spoken a word to me as of yet. Though…_

_Why are we here?_

_Is there a reason that the demons are now forced to sleep?_

_How weak are we about to grow?_

_Will any of my questions be answered? Or will I rot in here with the others?_

 

The pounding of my head startled me awake at the foreign feeling of a continuous pain in my body. It felt like there was cotton stuffing up my senses, a wave of dizziness hitting me as I attempted to see past the blurs and shapes that was in my vision. A dull humming sound drummed against my ears, and I let out a loud groan, my hands moving up to grasp my hair and my temples. The stone floor feels cold under my human skin, the stagnant air in the room is pushing down on my exposed skin. With a start, I realize that it’s pushing on every fiber of my being, and my damp hand runs down my chest and my legs. I felt naked, only wearing what I can understand is just my undershirts and undergarments are present. They cling to me, and I shift slightly, though groan loudly in the pain that minor movement caused, my eyes squeezing shut almost immediately.

 

After many inhales to calm the pain radiating from my head, my eyes flicker open once more, pointed teeth gritted as slowly, carefully, I forced my body up. My body worked as a doll being pulled up by strings, each body part being pulled up one by one, my head rising up last. Everything felt so heavy, eyes droopy and half lidded as I tried to see through the hazy and clouded veil over my eyes, blinking slowly to aid in my attempt. The feeling in my body reminded me of waking up from a long nap midday, at least I think so. How long had it been since I slept? It was necessary anymore, I suppose.

 

I ran my hand over my head again, running my fingers through my hair as I tried to locate the possible source of my unconscious state. To my surprise, I found a large, bloody lump present, blood streaming down my neck and back, staining my undershirts. How did that happen and why was it still bleeding? Something must have bypassed my ability to heal quickly, which was unusual. Some unfamiliar emotion began to creep in my chest, stuffing my chest and making it stiff as I touched the lump again.

 

The air in the room felt heavy, weighed down by the reeking odor of rotting flesh and splattered blood, both of which had been giving repeated coats over the years. The room reminded me of the torture cell back in London — and the other torture cells I had been in during my long life — complete with the mold and grim covered bricks, the shackles chained to the wall, the entire gloomy and disgusting room was very similiar to that one in London. But yet, there was a different odor mixed in with the fungus and bodily fluids, one that was too alike to my own and my young master’s…at that, my breath hitched.

 

My head swiveled around to give it one last look around, eventually falling upon the young man that I was now tied to for eternity. I stared at him for a few moments, a scowl tugging at the corners of his lips as I noticed how he appeared wounded as myself. Instead of a lump on the back of his head, there was a large gash on his forehead, blood trickling out and staining his pale pristine skin. Well now. There was the first scar he would receive in his long life as a demon that would taint his cherubic face. He still appeared unconscious, and knowing him, he would be out for a while, giving me some time to get my act together and find out what was going on here.

 

Someone had obviously wanted to bring us here for an unknown reason, and whoever our captors were, knew we were demons. Yet, something just didn’t feel right. The smell of other demons, and the condition of the room sent chills down my spine. My master and I weren’t safe here; whatever the reason we were here wasn’t important. How we got out of here was important, and how fast we got out of here is also vital.

 

A grunt left my parted lips as I slowly managed to make my limbs work and cooperate long enough to allow me to get to my feet and somehow get in a standing position. My balance almost threw be right back on the cold stone floor, but somehow I managed to stay up, my joints creaking at sudden movements. The shirt I wore fell slightly on my thin form, and I scowled at how baggy it appeared on my body. This contract with Ciel was going to kill me eventually, my weakening body groaning in agreement as I slowly moved and walked around the cell to examine it, the senses I possessed struggling to react to their full potential to aid me.

 

Slowly, I staggered towards the nearest wall, using it as a support as I moved down the wall, trying to find a possible method of escape, even if one wasn’t predominantly exposing itself to me. I ran my fingertips across the walls as my eyes scanned the bricks, a chill going up my spine every time I found a gouged out mark in the bricks similar to one possibly made out of claws. The struggles of one of my species was apparent everywhere, which made the feeling in my chest more immense.

 

Though I blinked in surprise when I felt a few loose bricks that appeared to have weakened over years of abuse and neglect. Gently I nudged my hands against the bricks, smirking when I felt them shift from my touch. I leaned my hand back as it curled into a fist, then smashed it into the building material. An explosion of dust and fragments of concrete bricks fell everywhere, my other arm shielding my face from debris.

 

Once the dust settled, my eyes blinked open and I peered out, noticing a bed of grass in front of me, leading out to more on the property. I was surprised that we were ground level, it felt like we were much higher up. Far down, lanterns were lit, objects seeming to move down a walkway and up towards something. Were they walking towards the entrance of the establishment? Maybe this prison was bringing in more captives.

 

I glanced back at Ciel, seeing that he was still in the pits of slumber. Gritting my teeth, I hobbled over to him, trying to not move too fast and aggravate the sick feelings I was experiencing. Carefully I scooped him up in my arms, and then looked back at the hole I had created. I had to move fast, or else they would find me and we would be right back where we started. Without a second thought, I sprinted forward and jumped out, landing on the soft grass.

 

The air felt slightly chilly on my exposed and sweat-coated skin, and I unconsciously held on tighter to Ciel. My toes curled in my dirtied socks at the feel of prickly grass against my skin, not feeling at all like regular soft grass, which made me wonder briefly where I was yet again. I almost slipped at my first step, rubber pebbles holding the grass down. Gritting my teeth, I clumsily sprinted ahead again, though stopped again when I noticed that my footsteps glowed on the grass, brightly and noticeably. Stumbling back, I blinked in surprise at the glowing footsteps, which would eventually dim down into nothing.

 

My breath quickened as I looked ahead, clinging tightly to Ciel, trying to keep myself calm and figure out what to do. Something wasn’t right here. The grass continued to glow brightly under my feet, the glow growing brighter and brighter as I stood in one place a longer amount of time. I had to get out of here as quickly as possible, and take my master with me.

 

Quickly, I lunged forward, sprinting as fast as my trembling legs would allow me to, Ciel bouncing slightly in my hold. Even so, I felt that my body refused to go as fast it normally would, slowed from whatever likely knocked me out in the beginning. There was a rising terror in my chest when I saw the grass glow behind me, noticeable figures in the distance that seem to grow bigger and taller as they seemingly approached me. I sniffed the air as my breathing quickened, struggling to possibly detect who they were, but all I could smell was the artificial aroma of the grass I was running on and the other odors of being outside, including the faint smell of other demons.

 

I turned my body sharply in a different direction, running faster than what my body was comfortable with. Pants left my body as I struggled to breathe, heading towards a large gate that was becoming visible as I ran towards it. Little sounds relatable to a cat’s mews were leaving Ciel’s lips, and I knew he would eventually awaken. Not now, not now…not when I was getting closer to finding a way out of here. I could figure out what we were doing here later, when I knew for a fact we were safe and out of harm’s way.

 

Something glittered in the moonlight, and I quickly turned my attention towards it, finding a gate that connected to the fence that surrounded the property. It was large and magnificent; the metal bent and manipulated in such ways to create a gorgeous work of art that greeted everyone who entered. My feet landed on the pavement as I made a sharp turn towards the gate. I could feel my feet carrying my body at a faster rate, now having some traction to make my movements faster.

 

A grin spread across my lips as I approached the gate. The details were becoming more visible as I got closer, Ciel’s movements becoming more apparent as he began to awaken. Now I wasn’t afraid of his awakening no longer, our escape now a definite possibility—

 

A gasp left my lips as I jumped back right in front of the gate, staring in horror as the color drained from my face, staring right at visible salt lines that line the property. I looked around, breathing heavily, now seeing the salt lines go all around the ends of the property, locking me inside. My chest moved up and down quickly as I clung tightly to Ciel, shaking violently. I didn’t even notice as I was suddenly tackled to the ground, Ciel being flung from my arms as I blacked out again, my head smashing against the pavement.


	2. Chapter 2

_Day XXX2_

_I feel weak and tired, pain still racking my body. The exhaustion and heaviness I feel in my bones and limbs is too severe to try and to figure out their source. I can't seem to remove this shackle around my neck either, could that be the source of it all? Barely can I write this out either way, I may have to sleep again soon. It feels so awkward to say, really. The need to sleep? So foreign to me._

_I still have not seen my young master yet. I have not overheard anyone talking about anyone even remotely similar to his appearance. They don't seem to talk that much, really. Not yet have I gotten a single word out of them. I feel strangely alone here._

_He is so weak now, how did he end up here? He told me he would tell me, but so far, he's just been sleeping. And as I write this, I watch him, wondering when he will finally talk to me about this. It was all still a mystery to me._

_The idea of escape seems to be out of my reach. Everything seems to be fool proofed. I know for a fact the salt is not something that I can easily pass through._

_I’m growing weaker, and that terrifies me._

_He seems to finally be able to talk, good enough._

 

 

 

\---

 

It seems I wasn't knocked out for too long, for I felt my body being dragged on the ground. Over the artificial grass that was surely leaving an obvious trial behind me. Onto the cold, rough concrete, where the sounds of their heavy footsteps echoed in the empty hallway. Past the threshold of another door and onto a tiled floor, the coldness seeming to be isolated and emphasized into the room, chilling its inhabitants to the core.

 

My body felt cold, stiff and painful to move, yet I didn't attempt any sort of action. The rough patches and sudden changes of terrain caused even more hindrances to myself, adding onto my labored breathing and pained limbs. As I moved, my head seemed to spin from the trauma of the sudden blunt force to my temple from the fall on the concrete. When was the last time I felt this horrible? How could demons feel this way? This was so...unusual.

 

When I was dropped suddenly, a pained groan left my throat as I slowly turned onto my side, tucking myself into a fetal position, shaking slightly. Everything was on fire, stiff and pained. My joints cracked loudly whenever I moved at all, causing motion to be a struggle. It's too difficult to move at all, thus I decide to just lay there for a few seconds to catch my breath, feeling very weakened for some reason. Panting, I barely hear a clicking sound, cold metal meeting my flesh around my neck. I didn't even bother to try to detect what had been put around my neck, struggling to pause the dizziness in my mind and get enough strength to even move an inch.

 

The sound of footsteps on the empty and cold tiled floor was heard and felt in my body, the blood dripping down my face and forming a puddle beside my head, making me feel sticky and wet. Slowly, I managed to open my eyes. It all felt like a dream again, from when I first woke up in that disgustingly cramped and unsanitary prison cell. How everything was all cloudy and blurry, and how it seemed I was thinking through a fog, and how my ears felt like they were stuffed with cotton. I just hated how my senses were dulled in this condition.

 

Something prodded my side, and I groaned and feebly tried to swat whatever it was away from me. I managed to grab the toes of a shoe, but let it go when it kicked and pulled against my grip, not wanting anymore damage to myself as well. There were murmurs between what appeared to be other inhabitants in the room, the continuing echoing of footsteps on the empty tiles being heard an felt around me. Two gray shapes appeared in front of my foggy line of vision suddenly, mumbles beginning to become clearer to my ears as well.

 

"...e dead?"

 

"I don't ... ooks in ... an..."

 

"What ... the bo ... ?"

 

"Leave them ... ere isn't much ti ... eft to re ..."

 

A snarl left my lips as I slowly forced my body to work and move effectively, turning my body onto my stomach and using my hands to gradually lift my body up enough to somehow get to my feet. There was more footsteps as they backed away from me, almost in shock that I was moving, I suppose. Coughing weakly as I felt my body wobble from weakness and a loss of balance from the blunt force trauma to my head, I struggled to continue to get to my feet. Eventually, I got to my knees, allowing myself to get to my feet. Yet, I wasn't prepared for the wave of dizziness that plagued my emotions, and I staggered, almost hitting the floor. Everything spun, and my arms flailed to grab onto something so I wouldn't fall onto the floor, then everything would be in vain. Somehow, I managed to stay standing, and slowly, I looked around.

 

There, standing in front of me, was three gaunt looking demons (they certainly smelt like myself, in a way), who seemed almost afraid and nervous, stepping away from me. Their hair was ruffled and long, appearing dirty as their bangs fell into their blank eyes that would occasionally flicker red. It confused me; I wondered what they were trying to do. They wore ragged and worn clothing that hung on their thin and shaking frames, pathetic patchwork and failing threads just barely hung the clothes together on their bodies. From their sunken in faces to the ribcages pressing against the fabric against their shirts, it was obvious how starving they were, how weak they were. Yet what caught my eye were the collars around their neck, jangling around their necks whenever they moved.

 

I blinked in surprise, staring at them closely as my vision finally cleared up enough to watch the demons slowly step away from me, then eventually moved to scurry away back towards their parts of the room. It was then that I noticed that there was more than those three demons in the room with myself, and that they didn't look all too healthy. On the metal bunk beds, demons that lay on thin and frail mattresses that would peek over at me before burrowing back under the blankets. The three demons returned to their beds that were dispersed across the room, no longer paying attention to me, now that they knew I was alive and somewhat conscious, even if my senses were still frayed.

 

Suddenly, I realized that I was not the only one I had to look out for in this room, and I looked around frantically for my young master. I swiveled my head around, no signs or scents of my master, and then, I paused, my hand moving towards my neck when I felt something cold and hard against my flesh. To my surprise, my fingertips met with cold metal, and after further investigation, I realized that it was the same metallic collar that the demons had also worn. Looking around carefully, I saw that everyone was wearing a collar around their necks, some even having them around their wrists and even ankles.

 

Slowly, I swallowed, struggling to find words or anything that could help me figure out what was going on here. Looking around slowly, I took a few steps forward, scowling slightly. "Someone," I began, clearing my throat, "please tell me what is going on here." I snorted in disgust when all I got were the demons rolling over in bed, a few lying unmoving on the mattresses, ignoring me.

 

Scoffing, I crossed my arms, shaking my head, glancing around, deciding that if I wanted to find out anything, I would have to do it myself, it seemed. I carefully began to walk around the room, looking for any sorts of clues that would alert me to my possible location and maybe the location of my young master as well. Yet, most of them just seemed to ignore me, turning away from me whenever I would even come close to them.

 

When my examinations and prosecutions came up with nothing, I huffed, sitting on the empty bed in the corner. I leaned back against the wall, sighing loudly, watching the other demons struggle to get comfortable, a couple of them appearing injured and weak, others looking frightened and skittish. What had happened to them, I wondered.

 

They all seemed just seem so...skinny and weak. It seemed they acted more human than demon in their behavior and appearance, nothing at all like how our species would normally act. How they wouldn't try to threaten me or defend themselves even when I would make direct eye contact with them. Usually eye contact was a form of a challenge, and the fact that they wouldn't even bat an eye at me looking right at them made me very concerned. Whenever I would ask very simple questions such as 'are you alright?' and 'are you in pain', or 'why are we trapped here' brought no answers from them, only a blink, if I was lucky enough for that.

 

Something inside of me ached almost, a feeling of frustration, anger, and...What else was there? Something I couldn't recognize was present in my chest, and I breathed out the stress I was feeling, struggling to calm down and get my act together before I became like those other demons; emotionless and afraid of the unknown. The emotions built up in me, like the stress was filling a balloon that lived inside my chest, causing immense pressure from the inside that could only be relieved by letting stress leak out of the balloon. But even that was a slow process, the balloon filling up again quickly.

 

In an attempt to calm down my frazzled nerves and the anxiety filling up my balloon in my chest, I slowly let my eyelids squeeze shut. Leaning against the wall, I sighed, struggling to calm down and get my head on straight. It was hard, not knowing what was going on, and even more frustrating not knowing how to fix it and figure out what was going on. I tried to block out the cries and wails, moans and grunts coming from the demons around me, making me try to curl up more on the bed, almost trying to hide from the others of my species.

 

I must have drifted off to sleep somehow, because I was startled awake brutally by the sound of metal smashing against metal, and the cries of demons as they got out of their beds. My eyes blink open, and I stare straight ahead, looking for the source of the noise, ignoring the demons as they stood by their beds, almost in a formation, as if about to present themselves to something or someone.

 

A demon that was the obvious source of the noise then came down my aisle, my guard going up instantly when I saw the metal bat the demon was carrying. He was physically larger than I was, having well-built and defined muscles, and cold eyes that made all the other prisoned demons flinched away. Something I picked up on was the lack of the collar; I touched my own unconsciously when he came closer to my bed, banging the bat wildly on the metal poles holding up the bed to startle the others.

 

"Come on you asshats! What’s the hold up?!" he roared with a violent tone, some spit shooting out of his mouth as he bellowed, hitting the bat against the bed poles. "You need to have your beds completely made and be prepared to get to work! I won't have it for a dirty living condition because of you lazy bastards! I won't get in trouble due to your laziness and half-assed work!"

 

The powerful demon paused in front of me only briefly, and I locked eyes with him, my guard going up in a fear of what he would do to me, especially when he had a weapon and I possessed none. Instinctively I reached for my tableware, but was mildly surprised when they were gone, remembering my correct situation. I opened my mouth talk to the demon, but my vision swam suddenly and I hit the floor roughly, my back smashing into the cold, hard metal bars.

 

The bat repeatedly made contact with my flesh and bones, causing me to feel immense pains whenever it hit me. Then I realized how surprised that made me, the fact that it physically hurt me. A simple bat possibly made my humans hurt me? Was there salt melted into the material, or was there something else going on? I couldn't understand, only able to just lay there and let the male beat me, struggling to get my head on straight about what was going on.

 

"Get off your lazy ass son! I won't make exceptions for newbies! Get on the ball!" he screamed above me as I grew dazed and dizzy, the bat smashing against my head once more before the abuse suddenly paused, the demon eventually backing off. Blood burned its way back up my throat, splattering on the floor next to my head. Blinking my eyes open, I noticed a few stains on the floor that were very similar to bodily fluids. He continued to scream at me, but I didn't comprehend the words, struggling to even move and function correctly after the barrage of attacks. Slowly, I rolled over onto my stomach, tucking my limbs underneath my body as I forced myself up, staggering to my feet as I clung to the bedposts nearby.

 

I somehow got to my feet, though I felt myself shake and almost fall over from weakness and my lack of balance, but somehow, I managed to remain standing. I swallowed the lump in my throat, looking at the deranged demon right in the face, showing him no emotion. He breathed out through his nose, then stormed away from me to continue his rampage. I turned my head slightly, noticing that some of the other demons had been watching his tirade on my body. Snorting, I narrowed my eyes, watching the other events that were going on. The demon was beating someone else, the others waiting for some sort of command of some sort.

 

Eventually, the demon finished his tirade for now, and went to demand where the much weaker and starving demons to go and work for the day. Some were in charge of laundry duty, others in charge of cooking, some having to be bell hops and bus boys for the customer -- who were the customers they were talking about? The leader got to me and the group that was near me, assigning us to join the other group that was already working on wiping down the floors of the other rooms. They just merely nodded, leaving the room with the other assigned groups, and I hesitantly followed the demons.

 

The groups were eventually separated, going to their different stations where they had needed to work. Our group eventually stopped in a hallway, sliding doors shut and locked to prevent any peeking toms. I had managed to catch a glimpse of a clock, alerting us that it was around five twenty-five in the morning. A few of my comrades were yawning loudly and shuffling around, moving towards a closet to grab a bucket, a mop, and a sponge each. A hose connected to the wall nearby in the closet allowed the buckets to be filled, as they moved to the floor and walls to scrub them clean.

 

It was like an assembly line, everyone moving along in a well-organized manner. I found myself on the line eventually, being nudged along by the demon behind me. Once I had my cleaning utensils, I felt like I was back at the location of my contract, the Phantomhive manor. Like clockwork I knelt down in an open space, plunging the sponge in the soapy water, and beginning to scrub at some stains on the wooden floor. At least they were informed on how to properly clean hardwood floors; soap and water was good enough.

 

My body still felt a bit achy after the beating I felt, and I was still so confused as to why it actually hurt my demonic body. I unconsciously touched the collar on my neck. Again, I wondered if that had anything to do with anything. Glancing around, I noticed that other demons also had the shackles around their necks, but a few had some on their wrists, even ankles as well. What was going on?

 

I felt a jolt of surprise when someone passed me that was not a demon, but what surprised me even more were the falling white feathers, an angel floating past the demons with a sneer on its face. A snarl left my lips unconsciously at the disgusting asexual creature, but I snapped myself out of it as other creatures began to pass back and forth. Some reapers were chatting and sipping coffee, walking right past us and other spirits were also strolling around. It suddenly all occurred to me from watching them and observing my environment that this was possibly where all these creatures gathered peacefully, but our scenario still didn't make sense.

 

My mind was filled to the brim with possible theories and reasons as to why everything was going on, and when I finally sat up when my job was done. How long had we been spent working on this? It was a mystery to me. I then realized that I stayed in the same place for an uncertain amount of time, everyone else having moved ahead to get their job done faster. I grimaced, the ache in my bones horrendous. Groaning, I rubbed my shoulders gingerly, shaking my head. Glancing out of a nearby window, I pursed my lips. The sun was beginning to creep up, chasing away the darkness from the scenery. Though, I paused when I heard a weak voice call my name from behind, snapping me out of the momentary peace of the sunrise, and I turned my head around, shocked to see who it was.

 

At first, the person was unrecognizable, staring at me almost desperately with sunken in golden irises, their body trembling by using the strength it didn't have to stand up. The thin and injury ravaged body leaned against the wall, breathing heavily, their heavy chest pressing against their shirt, which hung loosely to the rest of their body, clumping up on their pronounced bony hips. Their hair was flat and sticking to their face, which he brushed out of his face. He then cleared his throat, whispering softly.

 

"It's me...Claude."

 

"Claude...what...what are you doing here?" I breathed out, wiping my own hair out of my face. I finally recognized him, and I swallowed heavily, shaking slightly at his condition. What had happened that had caused his appearance and status to just deteriorate like that...? "What's going on here? What--"

 

"Quiet!" the spider hissed, narrowing his eyes. He looked around, as if to make sure no one was listening to us. All the demons were on the other side of the hallway now, us alone. "Listen, just, be quiet and play along. I'll talk to you when we sleep tonight, alright?"

 

I bit my lip, but gave a nod. If I wanted to know what was going on, this would be my only chance.


	3. Chapter 3

_Day XXX3_

_What he said to me still reverberates in my head, and I struggle to sleep or even relax anymore. My anxiety is acting up again, even though I know that I should be resting to prepare for the next shift of hard work._

_I'm still being plagued at night, unable to rest anymore. My body is weakening; I'm no longer as strong as a demon. The starvation that I face isn't helping my condition either. I feel so hungry, the food they give me aren't enough sustenance for me. I don't know what I'm doing._

_I haven't seen anything of Ciel, nor have heard a description that somewhat resembles him. I don't know what to do. The contract mark is still there on my hand, and I am aware he is still alive._

_But for how long will he be alive, or will I?_

_The guards are threatening to take my life any day, and she does as well. If she gets her hands on me, dear Satan, I don't know what will happen to me._

_I feel like I didn't really want to know what Claude had to say, my chest aches and I'm constantly afraid and fearful._

_I can't do this._

 

The hallways are empty and silent, not a single soul present. My shadow elongates down the cold wooden floor and moves along with me, acting as a ghost as it clings to the floors and walls, attached to my feet even when I sprint as fast as I can. Where my destination is is a mystery, as well as where I had originated from, but both of those notions leave my mind and imagination as I pump my legs and arms as fast as they can function, desperate to get away from the shadows. 

One thing I can keep in my head is the need to find my young master, and quickly, before destruction can be wrought upon him and myself. Where had my master gone? Had the shadows swallowed him up, as they are threatening to do with me? The answer is inaccessible to me at the moment, my body draining me of energy as it struggles to navigate the maze-like hallways and outrun the darkness that was gaining distance on me. I hope desperately that I will find the young master as I run, but slowly, my priorities switch from discovering him, to escaping the danger that is hunting me down.

I pass many rooms with the doors open as I run, and I only have just barely enough time to glance in and see if I can detect my master in any of the rooms. No sign of him anywhere makes my breath hitch, especially when I can see the pitch black swallowing up the walls around me, the shadows right on my tail. Feebly I try to pick up speed, but it doesn't seem to be working at all in my quest to somehow save myself. The shackle on my neck tightens gradually, and I gasp, having no time to try to tug it looser, or else lose concentration and possibly fall.

Breathing becomes harder and harder as I run down the hallways, a feeble attempt to try to outrun the shadows that are swallowing everything up in their paths. The contract sigil on my hand begins to glow, my chest tightening with the rising panic that I would likely not be able to escape whatever was going on in one piece. Panting and wheezing, breathing became difficult as fear clouded my mind, my limbs trembling as I felt myself slowdown from fatigue.

The end of the hallway became visible, and I let out a cry in frustration and failure. The end was high, my blood pounding in my head as I continued to run, having nothing else to do. That door at the end of the hallway was my only hope of survival, possibly leading me away from the greedy and gluttonous shadows and to freedom. Or else to my young Master, allowing me one last chance to be a perfect butler and protect him, at least for a bit. Maybe I could finally taste his soul while I was at it.

Once my hand brushed against the door, I threw it open and entered inside, not even bothering to close it behind me. Though, I froze, nearly stumbling back at the sight I saw. Something began to force its way up to my throat, burning as it traveled and threatened to break through the barrier that was my lips.

The room was mostly empty, save for a few abandoned appliances and furniture piled up against the walls. Everything was covered in spiders’ webs and dust, causing all in the room to appear dark and gray. But what caught my eye was the sight in the corner of the room. I unconsciously stepped forward into the room just to get a better look, but after I did so, I felt weak in the knees and wish I hadn't.

A small, frail rabbit was struggling weakly, appearing tangled up in threads. Its small cries for help sounded in my ears, and I felt myself trembling as it continued to flail, only getting itself more caught in the threads of the spider's silk. One of the largest spiders I had ever seen then travelled carefully along the threads, eventually moving to sit beside the frightened rabbit. Suddenly, the spider bit into the small rabbit's dark colored fur, and it squealed loudly and thrashed wildly, until finally calming down and stiffening up, the poison from the spider's venom having killed it.

Something in my chest tightened and felt about ready to burst. There was something about the scene I saw that frightened me, rattled me to the core, and I couldn't understand. I just couldn't grasp what was going on inside of me as the spider began to wrap and incase the small bunny in silk, preparing to devour it at a later point. My mouth went dry as I stumbled back, not wanting to watch nature run its course.

As I stumbled back, I gave out a yell, darkness swallowing me up whole, as a snake devours its meal. I gasped and flailed weakly, feeling the darkness weigh me down heavily. There was a loud crack and the sound of wood breaking, and suddenly I was falling through the floor. My screams were feeble compared to the crackling of the licking fire, basically worthless as I fell.

 

\---

 

A gasp leaves my lips as my eyes snapped open, my breath hitching as I struggled to calm down. My body began to tremble, cold beads of sweat beginning to trail down my pale and dirtied skin. I stared up at the bottom of the bed above me, the mattress and metal beams stained with blood and other bodily fluids. The sight of the disgusting mattress sent a few shivers down my spine, failing to calm me down correctly, and only freaked me out even more. I must have let out a few noises, for I heard a shushing sound coming from nearby, a hand moving to cover my mouth, making me freak out even more. I clawed frantically at the arm that tried to restrain me, my eyes wide in horror, everything blurring over.

Something hard hit me across the face, stinging my cheek, the breath in my lungs leaving my lips quickly. I breathed in and out deeply for a few moments, trying to recalibrate my senses, the hand removing itself from my mouth. Panting softly, I shut my eyes, then opened them again once my heart went back to a calm pace, glancing over to the side, locking eyes with the golden eye male.

Claude leaned heavily on the pillow, appearing weak and exhausted, though he seemed annoyed, eyes narrowed in almost a threatening way. A snort left his lips as he brushed greasy locks out of his face, adjusting bent and cracked glasses to look at me, scowling. "Finally. You're calm now." he said in a raspy voice, turning his head into his elbow to cough, trembling. "You were thrashing and crying in your sleep, making far too much noise than what's safe."

Still breathing somewhat heavily, I frowned slightly, leaning back against the flat mattress, deciding to not try to move too much at the moment. Everything was still spinning, still off from my frightening nightmare. I breathed deeply, attempting to calm myself completely as I locked eyes with Claude.

"...you...you couldn't tell me what's going on here before." I whispered softly, referring to the guards roaming around the entire night, especially when Claude even tried to glance at me, let alone speak to me. Breathing heavily for a few moments, I managed to calm down completely. "What's happening here? Why was my young master and myself kidnapped and forced to work here?" my eyes narrowed. "And you did promise me to inform me of what was happening here."

Claude gave a loud sigh, leaning forward and rubbing his forehead, appearing stressed. He opened his mouth a few times to try to speak, but kept closing it, struggling to form words. Eventually he got his act together, and found a place to start. "I don't know if you're aware of this yet, but we're trapped in a Hotel that also functions as a Japanese style bathhouse. Reapers, Angels, and other creatures from the Underworld come to this place often, either to be pampered or stay here for a bit to get away from their 'difficult lives'. This establishment is known as, Realm Hotel.

"The Demons are slaves here, we work for everyone else and are barely kept alive. We are not even creatures, we're just a free labor for the system." Claude grumbled, stroking his hair out of his face, not meeting my eyes. I listened to him intently, not saying anything, letting him explain everything that he could without being interrupted. We didn't have an unlimited amount of time to delve into information. Claude cleared his throat, resuming.

"There are numerous ways to also keep us inside the establishment, weakened and unable to defend ourselves. We cannot escape and warn others of our species about what occurs in this building, so that we 'do not ruin the business', as the higher-up guards quote. Ways that they restrain us are the salt lines lining the property, locking us in, and preventing us from entering certain areas that we are not permitted to enter. Even if we do manage to bypass the lines, the grass has been treated with chemicals to pick up the oils and sweat off of our bodies, lighting up on contact..." he breathed deeply, pausing to take a break, too much information flowing from his lips.

"Those shackles on your body? All demons except the guard demons wear them. They slowly drain our strength and power, eventually making us as weak as humans...we now need to sleep, yet sometimes we don’t' get it. We get exhausted...we get fatigued...and we get sick." Claude groaned, resting his head in his hands, and when he didn't speak for almost a minute, I assumed that he had finished his informative rant.

I breathed out, leaning more into my pillow, feeling exhausted just from listening to him talk. Feeling overwhelmed, I rubbed my forehead, a headache coming along. How long had it been since I felt such a menial pain? It was gradually becoming a more common thing, to my horror.

Realizing that now was the time to ask questions, I opened my mouth a bit hesitantly. My lips closed and opened, unsure of what to say and how to form words, but I eventually spat out, "is that why we can no longer fight back, and we have to eat and sleep like human beings...?"

Claude merely gave a small nod, covering the sides of his face with his hands, elbows resting on my bed.

"How long have you been here? Trapped here in Realm Hotel?"

"Sometime after you stabbed me with the demon sword." he whispered in a raspy voice, turning his head ever so slightly to glance at me with his bloodshot, golden eyes. I tried to not lock eyes with him, not wanting him to feel threatened when we were beginning to form a peace. Swallowing as I attempted to not appear too surprised, I shut my eyes, breathing heavily.

"So I never did kill you, did I? Or else you wouldn't be here."

"I don't even know." Claude gave a small scoff, and I could feel his eyes on me, but I refused to look at him again. I couldn't bear to see what I would become. "It's possible that Lilith had revived me to put me to work. It's not exactly a surprising notion for her to do that."

My head continues to throb, too much information assaulting me. Swallowing, I shake my head, knowing I have to continue to dig for information. This may be the only time we have. "Do you know what ever happened to Ciel? Where is he...?" I opened my eyes to see his reaction for my asking for my master, but I feel surprised when he merely shrugs and shakes his head, shutting his eyes, appearing exhausted. I heard him mumble something about anything could have happened to him, to which I remained quiet.

What else could I ask about? There had to be something... I couldn't let this opportunity to go to waste, I had to take full advantage of it. Struggling to think of something, I watched as Claude then heaved himself to his feet, waddling and wavering towards the bed nearest to me, eventually just flopping on the flat mattress, groaning.

"I need to sleep." he breathed out softly, rolling onto his side, curling up. His back to me, he didn't see the concern flash over my eyes as I realized just exactly what was to become of us.


End file.
